Since the Cast page doesn't change as much as the
comic does, it's fair
to say that a good bit of the information on this page could be
considered "spoiler" information. Still, there are some interesting
details. And some people like spoilers.
And since our story is scripted out for about forty months at the
moment, there's a lot of
spoiler information. So we came up with this method. (Thanks to wonder
web
whiz Thom Katt.)

Information that Steve and I consider to be
"spoiler" is going to be
blacked out. What exactly is that? Well... it's hard to define. We're
focusing mainly on important, storyline/plot/character revealing
information. Be warned: There
is a good bit of information that is not
marked as spoiler that some readers might consider such. If you want
the entire story to unfold in the comic, then don't read this page.
Otherwise,
just trust us and enjoy. Oh, a number of characters don't appear for a
good long while. And there are other characters that will be added
later who actually appear before some
of the ones listed here.

And before you ask - and a lot of you will -
Captain Celeste will not be making a significant appearance until 2010
unless the comic's popularity goes through the roof and we increase the
number of comics we post each week. (And, hey... it could happen!)

Now... If you want
to read the Spoiler Information, you can view the text beneath
by simply clicking and
dragging your mouse over it. Here's a sample:

This is Spoiler Information.

As the story unfolds, we'll reveal more spoiler
information. And we'll add more spoiler information.
AND FINALLY: The images you see here were early sketches, done
long before Battle Angel came on board as our Ink & Paint chief. So
Steve and I would like to extend a very special, "Thank you!" to Isabel
Marks for her wonderful job of coloring. If you're not reading Isabel
and Terrence's comics Namir Deiter,
You Say It First and Spare Parts, you're
missing out on a lot!

The Islands

Our
story takes place on the island of St.Thomas,which
is one of the three islands, along with St. Croix and St. John,
that make up the U.S. Virgin Islands, which make up the northern end of
the arc of islands known as the Lesser Antilles, which with the
Greater Antilles Islands constitute the bulk of the habitable islands
in the Caribbean. Of all these islands, the Angel is based out of St.
Thomas currently because it is the most active of the island. St.
Croix, about 25 miles south, has roughly the same population as St.
Thomas; each with about 50,000 inhabitants. But St. Thomas also has a
daily influx of thousands of tourists from cruise ships. St. John, only
five miles off the east side of St. Thomas, has a much smaller
population - around 5,000 - and only one small town. The first
adventure, which goes for about 18 -24 months, takes place almost
entirely on the island of St. Thomas. Future stories will take place on
multiple islands.
(And multiple centuries.)

To see a proper map with scale, distance, longitude and latitude, and
the British Virgin Islands to the east, click here.

The Angels

In the early 1700’s, the ageless, all-powerful
entity known as the Carib Angel pulls a worthless, dying pirate from
the harbor of Charlotte Amalie and grants him new life, new powers, and
new purpose. Accepting and grateful of this change, he lived a life –
and eventually surrendered it – guarding the tribes and peoples of the
Virgin Islands. The mantle of Angel was then taken up by his children,
who were
also gifted with special – though different – abilities. It was the
first passing of a parent to a child, to continue unbroken for nearly
300 years, to the present day. Some would die in battle. Others quietly
after a long life. There could be several Angels at once, or just one.
But the line of the Angel has never been interrupted.

Carlita

Twelve generations after the first Angel, Carlita continues
the mission.
Her mother, Constance, also an Angel, had died while saving ships
caught in a hurricane, causing the mantle of Angel to fall on Carlita
at the age of
seven.

More powerful than most of the Angels before her,
Carlita has the ability of flight; a rare gift. She can also, by
staring into their eyes, compel people
to do a harmless, unpredictable, and frequently humorous, activity to
apprehend criminals without violence.

Carlita’s most powerful ability, however, is
control over gravity. The most powerful gravity lines come from the
Earth, but Carlita can also see and manipulate gravity from the Sun,
moon, and even other planets and stars. This control can be used to
increase, decrease, suspend or even reverse gravity from multiple
sources. With this gift, Carlita can make weapons suddenly weigh a ton,
literally. She can lift people, cars, boats - virtually any object -
into
the air. (Her ability to fly is a separate gift, and is not a byproduct
of her gravity power.) She becomes “bullet proof” by using gravity to
pull bullets away from her and into a harmless direction. Few can match
the sheer force of this ability, and to date, no-one can overcome it.

Like all previous Angels, however, she also has
a unique weakness that comes with her abilities. When Carlita is
airborne, the sight of a hit or thrown ball overwhelms her, driving out
all thought except chasing it until she has her hands on it.

Like the majority of the people on St. Thomas,
Carlita is of mixed nationalities, being of Carib, African, and Dutch
descent. She is dark-skinned, with African features accented by her
Carib blood. Her light blue eyes are the only hint of her Dutch
ancestry. Carlita wears her Angel mantle proudly and with joy. She has
an upbeat personality and has the complete trust of the people of St.
Thomas who know who she is and guard her identity from tourists and
off-islanders.

As the Angel, Carlita has supreme confidence in
herself and her control over her abilities. That does not mean she is
without doubts or troubles. She is a guardian, not a superhero. She
knows the day will come when she will kill in order to protect her
people. While the islanders trust her judgment completely, Carlita
herself has moments of stabbing doubt. She also discovers there are
off-islanders similar to her in that they have abilities. Though
showing up only rarely, each one is a unique threat that must be
carefully dealt with to avoid harm to her people while keeping
knowledge of her existence from the outside world.

Francis

Carlita’s younger brother and only sibling. Despite being
just eleven years old, Francis takes care of Carlita nearly as much as
she takes care of him. While Carlita provides the finances needed to
keep their small apartment and buy necessaries, Francis has the
maturity to clean, cook, and tend to the daily chores.

Francis is also the Angel, and gifted with Angel
abilities. He has the ability to bring planes of energy into existence
that he can then manipulate and even see through. To create these
planes he needs to draw them first. He can “draw them into existence”
using any medium, but carries a drawing pad at all times to facilitate
the process.

Francis also has the ability to teleport,
himself and others, but each use is accompanied by a lapse in memory.
Though
the lapse is very short now, each teleport seems to lengthen the lapse.
They’re not sure at this point, but Carlita and Francis fear this could
be his “weakness”, which means the problem will not get better and may
actually worsen.

Other Angels

There have been more than fifty angels during the
twelve generations since
the Carib Angel chose the pirate Rupert to be the first in his line.
Every
child born to an Angel is also an Angel, though only the oldest
surviving child passes the heritage to the next generation. What they
are and when they
appear varies greatly, but each and every Angel is gifted with
extraordinary
abilities.
Each and every Angel also has a weakness. The how and why of each
ability and weakness is unknown to all but the Carib Angel. Of the
twelve
generations, Carlita is arguably the most powerful Angel.

Eleven Angels have died in the line of duty,
including Carlita and Francis' mother, Constance.

Since the Carib Angel occasionally takes Carlita to
the past for missions, other Angels will appear in the strip from time
to time. And there is
always the possibility that the Carib Angel will bring a future Angel
to
Carlita's present. As they do, their bios and pictures will appear on
the site.

The first ancestor Angel to show up will be Amanda,
the eldest child of the original Angel, Rupert. Like Carlita, Amanda
has the gift of flight.
She can also control fire in all its forms. Her weakness? Amanda cannot
remain
awake after sunset. She and Carlita will become close friends. (At
least, as
close as two people separated by 250 years can be.)

The Carib Angel

The creator and source of each Angel’s abilities,
the Carib Angel has been in existence for unknown eons. The
counterbalance to the Life
Slayer, it was the Carib Angel who began the Angel line in the early
1700s,
with Rupert being the first Angel. Starting from the late 1700s, the
Carib Angel
began the practice of transporting the current Angel into the past, to
assist
that era’s Angel. At times the Carib Angel will restrict the
transported
Angel’s powers – even altering them if it deems necessary.

The Carib Angel is the guardian of life for the
Caribbean, but views life as a balance, countered by death. The Carib
Angel is
formless, but occasionally takes on an animal form – parrot or fox are
the two most common forms – and rarely a vague humanoid
shape, male or female.

If it decides it is
needed, the Carib Angel will take over an Angel's body and essence to
pronounce
judgment upon someone.

The Good Guys

Without proper guidance and relationships, any
Angel would be unable to function. Unlike superheroes, who must keep
their identity secret from all but very few people - if any - the
entire
native population of the US Virgin Islands know who the Angel is. So do
a
number of "off-islanders" who've been told, usually by the Angel
herself/himself.
They protect and watch over the Angel, and what they lack in power they
make up in number and
devotion.

Big Marie

In many ways the firmest anchor in Carlita’s and Francis’
lives,
Big Marie has been involved in three generations of Angels. As a little
girl,
Big Marie was babysat by Carlita’s great-aunt Rebecca. As a young lady,
Big Marie in turn babysat an infant Constance (Carlita’s mother) and
became Constance’s close friend. After Constance married and had her
own children, she turned to Big Marie to take care of them whenever her
husband
was at sea and she needed to perform as the Angel.

Now, with the death of both Constance and her
husband,
Big Marie has become the foster parent of Carlita and Francis. Called
“Momma” by the
kids, Big Marie raised them with love and care. Her firmness and
discipline
is blanketed by a warm layer of happiness and quickly expressed love.
Though “her
kids” are the islands most powerful beings, with responsibilities that
would stagger anyone else, Big Marie has brought them up correctly,
letting
them be children, not pampering them, but showing them the love of a
real parent.
The kids don’t live with her now, Carlita having taken an apartment
across
from the street of Big Marie’s own little place, but she is involved
with their lives every day.

Big Marie is large, buxom, gregarious, cheerful
woman
of dark complexion who owns a colorful market cart from which she sells
trinkets
and knick-knacks to tourists to support herself and the kids. The
bright
colored clothing and straightforward way she addresses people are not
an
act: Big Marie loves who she is, what life has brought her, and what
she
is doing with it. She has no “powers”,
but seems to know just about everything and everyone on the island. She
is
loved by all. “If you have a problem with Big Marie,” is the common
sentiment, “you’re the one with the problem.”

Lt. Eric Lewis

A sergeant in the Virgin Islands Police
Department
at the time of Constance’s
death, Eric was the person to whom the seven year old Carlita offered
her role
as the new Angel. An exceptional police officer, Eric made sergeant at
the
age of twenty-two and lieutenant at the age of twenty-nine. He was
Constance’s
closest contact in the VIPD and is now Carlita’s. (Though everyone in
the VIPD and Fire Department are friendly with her.)

When Constance died, Eric took over training
Carlita in crime fighting. Under his tutelage, Carlita learned the ins
and outs of spotting, chasing and
apprehending criminals, basic detective techniques, and weapons combat.
Because of
his training and persistence in keeping Carlita focused, Carlita became
an officer of the VIPD at the age of fifteen.

Eric Lewis is a fit man of thirty-two, dark
complexion, and sports a trim beard and moustache. Bright, cheerful,
but able to
become serious in a heartbeat, he handles every case that comes his way
in
full stride, whether it be booking a petty thief or arresting a
would-be
“super criminal” who accidentally glued his jetpack to himself. He
works at the VIPD
substation in downtown Charlotte Amalie, the most common station that
Carlita goes
to. Unmarried, he seems to always be on duty. Is he a potential love
interest for Carlita? Only time will tell.

The Bad Guys

We hate 'em. And we love to hate 'em. Face it,
without the Bad Guys, the Angel
would only be around to control the weather, and how fun is that?
(Answer:
Not.)

There are several levels of Bad Guys in the strip.
Some are social bad guys;
the rival kids and meddling teachers who don't pose any real danger but
can
be a real pain in an Angel's patoot.

Then there are the standard issue bad guys; the
ones who rob banks, mug tourists,
and don't file their taxes. (Carlita will probably not be going after
that
non-tax filers.) Since even the bad guys who are native to the Virgin
Islands
know about Carlita, some come up with clever ways to foil her. And some
come
up with really stupid ways.

Then there are the super powered foes. Though
fairly rare, these can prove
to be very difficult, since they are combating Carlita at her level,
and they
don't fight fair.

Finally, there is the worst sort of villain; the
one with purpose and power.
These are the agents of the Life Slayer, the eternal counterbalance to
the
Carib Angel. Led by Johann Van Bastelaer for over two centuries, this
is the
dark, dark side of the story. It is normally an undercurrent to the
storylines,
but when it does move to the forefront, you'll see a much more serious
side
of the comic comes out.

Angelique DeVille

Carlita’s high school “arch nemesis”. Though
not a real
threat – she has no powers or truly evil motives – Angelique provides
endless grief to Carlita at a personal level. Called “their little
angel” by
her parents, Angelique cannot stand that while she is very popular at
school,
with many friends, she is not Carlita, the real Angel. To Angelique,
Carlita’s
popularity hasn’t been “earned”, but is instead a by-product
of her role as the Angel.

Knowing that as her guardian, Carlita would never
uses
her powers against her, Angelique constantly goads, irritates, mocks
and
antagonizes Carlita, hoping to push her to the point that Carlita will
lash
out, thus bringing her down to Angelique’s level. Angelique also
resents that despite her
dislike
of Carlita, her island upbringing has also instilled respect for
Carlita
as the Angel, and Angelique would never give away the Angel's secret or
betray
her.

Angelique is a tall, slender, beautiful young lady
of dark complexion. A Senior, she has immense popularity among the
jocks
and fashion crowd, though she is avoided and ignored by the majority of
the
student body. (She likes it that way since they’re beneath her.) Though
her family is well-to-do, her
parents do not have her snobbishness and wish she and Carlita could
just “get
along”.

As for Carlita, while she maintains her composure
when
confronted by Angelique, she has broken down and cried when coming
home,
burdened by the knowledge that Angelique’s hatred of her is due only to
Carlita’s
calling as an Angel. She occasionally attempts to befriend her, but
always
fails, sometimes with embarrassing results, other times humorous, and
other
times heartbreaking.

Professor Jeffrey Hornbeck

Carlita’s mathematics teacher, Mr. Hornbeck
is slightly more “dangerous” than
Angelique. Since he is new to St. Thomas, he is unaware of Carlita’s
role as the Angel. What he is aware of is that the students – as well
as his fellow teachers – are protecting a secret and not sharing it
with
him. While he initially finds this merely annoying, the sense of being
“left
out” eventually spurs him to find out what knowledge is being denied
him. He explores many avenues, frequently returning to the legend of
the Angel.
He repeatedly abandons it, though, since it’s clear no-one else
believes
in the legend. He is becoming increasingly suspicious that Carlita is
somehow
involved with the secret, but can’t determine whether she is the object
of the secret or just a more active participant in keeping it from him.

Hailing from southern California, Jeffrey Hornbeck
is a short, stout, white man. Though he looks fat, he is in actuality
quite
fit. Balding, and sporting a beard and glasses, he seems the stereotype
of
a life-long nerd. But although he has nerd-like intelligence, he also
shows
sensitivity to others. Despite his constant, and sometimes hilariously
extreme,
endeavors to discover “the
secret”, he has a good soul, and is listed as an antagonist only
because
of his goal to discover the Angel.

Carlita likes Mr. Hornbeck as a teacher. She is
torn
between telling him the secret or not, but realizes he is still new to
the
island and may not be able to handle such a revelation. (Most
“transplants” to St. Thomas
are only entrusted with the secret after five or more years of living
there.)
What concerns Carlita the most is that Mr. Hornbeck’s constant prying
and investigation may inadvertently reveal Carlita to other
off-islanders.

Captain Celeste

A more “worthy” enemy of Carlita is Celeste, a
self-styled pirate who is very good and very effective in what she
does. Committing piracy
in and around the Virgin Islands, Celeste has the uncanny ability of
both
striking the right ships for pirating, then disappearing without a
trace.
Carlita is sometimes successful in foiling Celeste’s attempts, but is
never able
to capture her. The two duel frequently, one never quite getting the
better of the other. Though they are far from being friends, each
grudgingly
respects the other. Carlita can foil some of Celeste’s best plans,
while Celeste
can always manage to slip away from Carlita; sometimes with treasure,
sometimes not. What Carlita doesn’t know is she is not the first Angel
that
Celeste has dealt with.

Celeste operates within the romanticized code of
the pirate, looking for treasure and glory. Though her actions are
certainly illegal and dangerous,
Celeste does not believe in causing people undue harm, and certainly
will not
kill for profit. Her ship is a colorful blend of new and ancient. She
affects the trappings of a pirate as well, wearing a black head
bandana, and
wielding a cutlass which she brandishes but never uses against people
directly
unless forced.

What is unknown to her victims, the authorities,
and even Carlita is that Celeste is an actual pirate from the early
18th century. She discovered a blue sapphire in 1705 that gave her
access to a time portal she can call up and control whenever she
wishes. (She now carries the stone as a necklace.) Unlike the Carib
Angel, who can only take others to the past and return them to the
present, Celeste’s stone gives her the ability to move forward and back
through time, taking her ship and crew with her. After exploring
various time periods, Celeste chose to live in our present day. She
bought a fast
sloop, named it the HMS Horizon,
modified it to better serve her purpose, and
hired a crew of loyal ne’er-do-wells from the present day. She keeps a
small
villa on Tortola, of the British Virgin Isles, which she’s owned for
300 years. (Though Celeste is only in her mid-twenties.)

Somehow, Celeste became convinced (probably by
watching too many cartoons) that present day animals are more
intelligent than they were in the 1700s. She’s so convinced of this
that she is frequently seen with a “side-kick” animal
that she credits with far too much personality and intelligence. Her
crew doesn’t have the heart to tell her they’re just dumb animals. Most
of her pets
don’t last very long, as she is sending them off on missions
from which they never return.

Celeste is an athletic woman in her
mid-twenties. Of indeterminate origin, she has a light brown
complexion, green eyes and fiery red hair. She is left-handed, is proud
of it, and it is a source of humor when attention is brought to it,
through word or action. (Such as when they pirated a freighter and
found among the cargo a large number of crates marked “left-handed
supplies”.)

Historical
Note: The character of Celeste is based on the actual female pirate,
Anne Bonny, born around 1700 and
sentenced to hang in 1720. Anne pleaded “her belly” (meaning she was
pregnant), and the court stayed her hanging
until after the baby was born. Although another female pirate with her,
Mary
Read, died of a fever in her fifth month of pregnancy, what happened to
Anne
is unknown. All that is known is she was not hanged.

Johann Van Bastelaer

A
true enemy of Carlita, Johann also has a secret identity. A successful
businessman who owns a massive fleet of ocean vessels, he is also the
primary agent for the Life Slayer in Carlita’s time. On St. Thomas
since the late 1700s,
Johann has managed to maintain multiple identities for over two hundred
years,
immersing himself in St. Thomas’ history, altering it slightly to
evil’s
benefit, and studying each Angel as they served their people and
island. Johann
has personally killed two Angels, and is now hoping to kill Carlita,
the Angel
for which the Life Slayer has prepared him.

There are several levels of danger in Johann.
His vast wealth allows him to easily act on his own goals while also
carrying out the wishes of the Life Slayer. He is capable of “binding
souls” of the newly dead and
turning them into Non-Lifes. And he has intimate knowledge of the
Angels while
remaining hidden from them. Because of his extremely long life, he is
deliberate
in his actions and works through others to achieve victory. Though he
reserves
the right to kill Carlita for himself, Johann is content to manipulate
events
from the shadows, drawing the unknowing Carlita closer and closer to
him and
to her ultimate death. The only direct way he is “involving” himself
with Carlita is that he is slowing trying to win her heart
romantically, in
order to more thoroughly destroy her when the moment arrives.

Johann is unaware that he is known by Benjamin
Frost, who fought him fifty years prior in Europe, when Johann had used
his then growing influence to begin taking over shipping companies and
increasing his wealth through illegal gains. Benjamin does not know
Johann’s true history, but realizes there is something
of the supernatural about him. He’s chosen not to tell Carlita his
suspicions
for fear Carlita will face Johann ill prepared.

Johann looks to be an extremely fit man in his
mid-thirties. Tall, with blond
hair, blue eyes and sharp features, he has scarred neck from an
incident in
the mid-1800s and limps because of a poorly set broken right leg, which
he
received while killing an Angel. He does not use a cane, but will at
times
resign himself to a wheelchair. He dresses in business attire for the
most
part, but has no difficulty affecting casual wear. He always has a
lapel pin
of a fiery meteor, which, when touched, grants him super strength for
short
periods, as well as unrestricted movement. He can also use it to
magically
alter his appearance.

Carlita is aware of Johann Van Bastelaer only in
a “common knowledge” way.
She knows he owns a large and varied fleet of ships and leases them out
to
shipping companies, oil companies, the tourist industry, and single
operators
who work for him. And she’s becoming aware of the seemingly
disproportionate
number of times these ships are involved in activities dangerous to her
people
and island. Finally, he seems to be “around” more and more frequently,
and is quite friendly with her. Perhaps more than friendly, since
Carlita thinks
Johann doesn’t know she is the Angel. Beyond that, Carlita has no idea
that she is his ultimate target.

The Life Slayer

Known only to his servants, The Life Slayer is
the eternal evil; the counter
force to the Carib Angel. It was the Life Slayer who used its power
millions
of years prior to bring down the meteor that struck the Earth and
destroyed
the dinosaurs.

Stirred from an eons long slumber with the
arrival of Columbus in 1494, the
once defeated Life Slayer sees an opportunity to take advantage of the
introduction
of the European influence on the Carib and Arawak Indians. Creating
Non-Life
servants upon the return of the Dutch in the 1600s, the Life Slayer's
increasing
power is the reason the Carib Angel brings the Angel to the Virgin
Islands,
starting with Rupert in early 1700s.

Now, after 300 years, the hidden conflict
between the Life Slayer and the
Carib Angel is reaching a crossroads. To reach the next level of its
quest
to destroy all mankind, the Life Slayer must break the chains holding
it to
the Virgin Islands by destroying Carlita, the most powerful Angel yet.

The Life Slayer has no form or shape, nor does
it take any, except rarely,
and then as an animal.

Through time trips to the past – initiated by
the Carib Angel to aid
previous Angels – Carlita is slowly becoming aware of the Life Slayer’s
existence.

The Supporting Cast

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. The Useful, the
Colorful, and the Stupid.
The Mundane, the Curious, the As Yet Unknown and the Deadly. Pick just
about any
combination;
sooner or later that type of supporting cast member will appear. Some
will
appear once, then fade into oblivion. Others are recurring. And perhaps
a few
will become more. Only time and storyline will tell.

Robert Dobbins & Gang

“Bobby Dobbie” is
Carlita’s boss and owner of the St. Thomas Construction Company, where
Carlita works. The crew; Jeff, Manny, Betts and Big Wally are the
construction workers and are very easy with having the Angel as their
office manager. Carlita can
count on them for “extra” duties as she has need.

Benjamin Frost

Though not an Angel, Benjamin is also gifted
with powers.
A founder of the superhero group Freedom Squad decades earlier, he
fought crime in America and Europe under the identity of The Icicle.
Over
seventy years old now, Benjamin retired and came to St. Thomas to
verify the
rumors of the Angel and offer his aid. He was successful in both
endeavors,
and now Carlita turns to him for encouragement and advice. He is a
gentle
soul, sometimes world-weary, but usually in good humor. When required,
he can
become a cold and formidable opponent, capable of abrupt and decisive
action.
He and Carlita are very close friends, but there is occasionally
tension
between them, as Carlita’s role as an absolute protector means she can
and will kill if forced to,
something Benjamin has never done.

Though a grandfatherly figure, Benjamin remains
in good physical condition. He occasionally uses a cane, more as an
affectation than an aid. His
powers have not diminished, however. He is able to slow down the
molecular
vibration of any object within several hundred feet, causing a rapid
drop in
temperature.
He uses this mostly with water and water vapor, creating ice into
shapes he can control. He can also increase the vibrations slightly,
enough to
melt ice, but cannot raise temperatures above ambient.

Sir Hector of Covingdale

An Englishman who moved to St. Thomas twenty
years ago, he is one of the “off-islanders” who
knows Carlita is the Angel. (Carlita told him herself when she was
nine.) A
quiet eccentric, Hector owns a valuable villa up in the hills of St.
Thomas,
but contents himself to raising chickens and selling them at the
Charlotte
Amalie Market. There is probably something more to Sir Hector, but it
won’t
be revealed for some time.

Judge Winslow

A valuable and understanding judge who gives
Carlita legal
advice as needed.

Jan & Erika

Two of Carlita’s best friends, the three have been
together since kindergarten. Now in high school, they’re still very
tight and spend many afternoons together, studying and talking, heading
to the beach, and walking the marketplace. They treat Carlita first and
foremost as a friend and are not put off whatsoever by her status as
Angel.

Drs. Grant & Rodriguez

Two of Carlita’s doctors, they’re the ones she
turns to when in need of medical aid. (Which can be alarmingly frequent
at times.) Dr. Grant is the one she uses most now. Dr. Rodriguez fixed
Carlita up when she was a young girl, but recently moved his practice
to St. Croix.

Rico Santiago

Perhaps Carlita’s most “credible” potential
love interest, Rico is a vibrant, active young man who lives on the
Virgin Island of St. Croix, 40 miles south of St. Thomas. He owns and
operates
a modest sized boat service out of the Butler Bay area, running
errands,
transport, tours, diving and fishing. Because of his open, friendly
demeanor,
people often mistake Rico as being far less than his is. He is an
excellent
seaman, having uncanny ability to read the moods of the sea. He handles
his
powerboat with extraordinary skill, rarely if ever making a mistake. He
is a
superlative fisherman and diver. Intelligent and quick, he is always
aware of
goings-on around St. Croix and the surrounding waters, which he in turn
reports
to the proper authorities and Carlita.

Though Rico is a valuable ally in fighting
crime,
Carlita visits him just as often for his company and relaxed view on
life. Around Rico, Carlita
finds herself at ease. Though they started as friends, things do seem
to be
drifting toward something more serious.

Rico is a strong, handsome Hispanic man in his
early twenties. Almost always smiling, his black eyes seem to sparkle,
and his black hair always has
a glisten to it, due to his frequent diving. Though strong, he is light
on his
feet and can move very quickly if required. Usually dressed in clean
but
well-worn pants, sandals and sleeveless shirt, Rico has a tattoo of a
bull on his right
arm.

Fitzwilliam Mountbatten

The “Angel Constable” on the British Virgin
Islands, Willy is the perfect example of why people need to live in the
Caribbean for a
number of years before being told of the Angel. Like Professor
Hornbeck, Willy is
new to the (British) Virgin Islands. Unlike the professor, Willy is
aware
of the Angel. Perhaps foolishly, the Tortola Police Department thought
he
could handle the knowledge. He couldn’t. To make up for the oversight,
he was
appointed the liaison for Carlita to work with whenever she’s called to
the
British Virgin Islands on Angel matters. Their relationship seems
doomed to
misunderstanding after misunderstanding, some vary amusing, others not
so much.

Larry “The Whiner”

When Carlita was a first grader, Larry was a
fifth grade bully. Through the school years, he continued being a
bully, never learning from the lessons his teachers, fellow students
and occasionally Carlita tried to teach him. Now a high school dropout
and involved in the criminal society as a minor thug, “The Whiner” is a
source of semi-reliable street information, that Carlita occasionally
chases down and interrogates.

Nitro Nate

One of the more frequently recurring super
villain wannabes, Nitro Nate is a native islander, so he is constantly
trying to find his “niche” in the criminal underworld, coming up with
outlandish schemes to defeat Carlita. They are all doomed to failure.
Since the majority of his ideas involve fire and/or explosions, it’s a
miracle he’s not really dangerous to the public or himself.

The non-Lifes

Of a far more dangerous caliber than Larry or
Nitro Nate, non-Lifes are minions who have been enslaved by the Life
Slayer to further its goals. Neither living nor dead, they could be
anywhere, anyone. When destroyed, they disappear, changing to water
when at sea, to sand when ashore, occasionally voicing their thanks.
Though generally capable of only mundane tasks, there are some “higher”
non-Lifes with more self-awareness. Johann Van Bastelaer uses many
non-Lifes.

First Mate Frakes

Captain Celeste’s first mate, he is an utterly
loyal, competent, quietly dangerous man. He will often act as the go
between Carlita and Celeste on the rare occasions they get together for
non-combat reasons and uneasy truces. He also quietly puts up with
Celeste’s oddities, such as her insistence that her (frequently
replaced) pets are smart. Frakes appears to be his only name. No one
knows if it’s a first or last name.

Second Mate Kitty Donahue

Another of Celeste’s loyal crew, “Miss Kitty” is
the techno-whiz behind Celeste’s shenanigans and chicanery. Alongside
the Captain’s daring and Frakes’ cool head, Kitty’s genius use of
computers and electronics create a constant problem for the authorities
in general and Carlita in specific. “Miss Kitty” hails from Wisconsin –
“Milwaukee, Wis-cahn-son, doncha know, you betcha.” - and has a
mid-Western accent that jars sharply with her otherwise completely
pirate image.

Sorry guys, but Celeste is taking this week off. Our favorite time-traveling pirate is ready and rarin' to go, but the fact is the creator/writer is just plain bummed out. I'm sure I don't have to go into reasons why.

Anyway, just let me get my batteries and enthusiasm for the project recharged and we'll pick it up next week, okay?